Guide
Claude Code vs Codex vs Cursor CLI: a side-by-side
Claude Code (Anthropic), Codex CLI (OpenAI) and Cursor CLI (Anysphere) are terminal agents that read your project, run commands and edit files. We do not rank them: quality changes with every model release and depends on your code. This table covers what differs in daily use, from each vendor's documentation (checked 24 October 2026) and our own tests of hooks.
| Claude Code | Codex CLI | Cursor CLI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Command | claude | codex | agent (earlier cursor-agent) |
| Billed to | Claude plan or API key | ChatGPT plan or API key | Your Cursor plan |
| Resume | claude --continue, --resume | codex resume | agent resume, agent ls, --continue |
| Planning / read-only mode | Plan mode (Shift+Tab) | /permissions controls when it asks | Plan and Ask modes (--mode=plan, --mode=ask) |
| Non-interactive | claude -p | Yes (see the CLI docs) | agent -p (print mode) |
| Hooks that report status | Prompt, tool use, permission prompt, question, end of turn | Prompt, tool use, permission request, end of turn, after you trust them | Session start, tool use, session end; prompt and end-of-turn did not fire in our terminal tests |
| Built-in worktrees | claude --worktree | Create with git | Create with git |
| Usage windows you can read | Five-hour and weekly (/usage, status line) | Windows from /status and session logs | Not covered in the CLI documentation |
Cursor CLI's page does not describe its billing; it runs against your Cursor account. The usage row for Cursor means the CLI documentation does not describe it; Cursor's own dashboard may show more.
Choosing
- Use the one whose plan you already pay for; each bills its own, so all three together triple your headroom.
- Pick by task: try the same prompt in two of them on a real bug before you decide.
- If you need status, notifications or a permission inbox for many sessions, hook support matters more than the model.
Running all three
Give each its own worktree and open them side by side. Paneherd runs all three, plus Copilot and Gemini CLI, in one grid in VS Code or Cursor with live status for Claude Code, Codex and Copilot, and usage limits for Claude Code and Codex at the top of the sidebar. See running several agents side by side and Codex vs Claude Code.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cursor CLI the same as the Cursor editor?
No. It is a separate command line agent that works in any terminal, including inside VS Code.